Day 27: Thursday, 4/2/15, Concan, TX (65º at 6:30 am) to Kerrville, TX (82º at 3:30 pm) 72 miles, elevation changes: +2896/-2741.

WE REACHED THE HALFWAY POINT ACROSS THE COUNTRY! Today, just before lunch at the today’s mile mark 52, I reached the halfway point for the trip. I left the River Bend Resort at 7:40 am. It was misty, overcast, and very humid. We definitely are in the TX Hill Country as we went up and down all day; note the elevation gain and loss. It cleared up by the trip halfway mark and its been a beautiful, warm breezy afternoon.

Bike Stats: 72.6 miles riding for 4 hours and 57 minutes averaging 14.7 mph with a top speed of 36 mph.

Highlights:

• Reaching the trip’s halfway mark!
• Riding along the Guadalupe River for about 30 miles this morning.
• Having a rest day yesterday!
• Going to lunch yesterday with Carol and JD Williams. Carol Williams changed Joan’s and my life -- the entire Holden's family life. Carol was on the St. Agnes School's Board of Governor’s Head of School Search Committee back in the fall of 1983 and travelled to Groton School with David Burke, a second search committee member, to interview Joan for the first time. Because of this interview at Groton, Joan was invited to interview at St. Agnes in Alexandria. Carol was a driving force supporting Joan being named Head of School at St. Agnes and thus moving the Holden's to Alexandria, VA for 30 years. It was such a wonderful lunch with Carol and JD reflecting on this memory and many others. 

The TX Hill Country at our morning SAG stop at mile 19 of today's ride. The sun's rays are beginning to burn through the overcast.

Crossing the Guadalupe River. We must have crossed it 10 times as we followed it on today's ride. It was the most beautiful countryside we have yet passed through. The landscape has changed to trees and grass. There are still cacti around, but we are definitely out of the desert.

Big Blue and me at the half-way point of the trip.

The Boot Fence that happens to exist where our half-way point is located. Why someone has adorned these fence posts with boots? I don’t have a clue.

Carol & JD Williams and me holding the TX flag. Carol and JD live about 95 miles south of Concan in Pearsall, TX on their ranch. They drove up and took me out to lunch to a restaurant in Leakey, TX (pronounced "lay-key") about 7 miles from the River Bend Resort.

 Carol and JD beside Big Blue at our campsite on the Frio River at River Bend Resort.

 Make it a great day!

John